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Staff Reporter
THE DBE collaborated with the Gauteng Education Department (GED) and rolled out a School Safety District Support Intervention after identifying challenges in the Sedibeng East and West Districts under the theme: “Capacitate schools in Sedibeng Region to be able to prevent and manage violence in schools”. On the first day, a Local Stakeholder Engagement Meeting was held at the Sedibeng West District Office in the Gauteng Province.
This meeting included partner departments, local municipalities and relevant civil society organisations to support school violence prevention programmes. The second day featured a school-based workshop at Quest Conference Estate in Vanderbijlpark. The purpose of the meeting, which took place from 3 – 5 June 2024, was to ensure a safe school environment for learners and teachers.
Sammy Maraba, Assistant Director from the School Safety Directorate, delivered a presentation on the National School Safety Framework (NSSF) approved by the Minister of Basic Education in 2015. He stated that the NSSF should be used as a tool to curb violence in schools.
“The goal of the Framework is to create a safe, threat-free, supportive learning environment for learners, parents, educators, principals, School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and administration, and in so doing, retain learners in schools.”
He also highlighted some of the NSSF’s objectives, which assist schools in understanding and identifying all security issues and threats, creating reporting systems, managing reported incidents appropriately, and helping schools monitor their progress over time.
Sifiso Ngobese, Director of School Safety at the DBE, said, “there are various challenges facing South African schools, including bullying, learner-teacher encounters, corporal punishment, drug and substance abuse, and dangerous weapons. These challenges have been linked to absenteeism, dropout and expulsions, thus negatively impacting the attainment of quality basic education”.
Speaking on the Protocol for the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in Schools, Deputy Director for Social Cohesion, Dululu Hlatshaneni, explained, “This Protocol provides schools, districts and provinces with standard operating procedures and guidelines for addressing allegations of sexual abuse and harassment.
“It details how schools must respond to reports of sexual abuse and harassment perpetrated against learners and school staff; and outlines an approach that enables educators and DBE employees to identify, intervene, report, and provide support to all learners who are sexually abused or harassed in school; and provides an appropriate response to perpetrators of all forms of sexual abuse and harassment. It is important to note that the legal age of consent to sexual activities in South Africa is 16 years”.
Presenting on learner misconduct and disciplinary procedures, a representative from GDE stated that all schools must have a Code of Conduct that complies with both provincial and national legislation, including public schools with hostels: “When conducting disciplinary proceedings, it is important to ensure compliance with substantive and procedural requirements of fairness in both the suspension and expulsion of a learner. It is crucial to follow guidance on conducting disciplinary hearings and due process to safeguard the interests of the learner and any other party involved in the disciplinary process”.
Over 200 attendees from 50 schools and stakeholders attended the event, which was supported by Social Cohesion, Psychosocial Support, Education Management and Governance Development (EMGD), Health Promotion, and the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC).
Participants shared their knowledge and experiences about the challenges in school safety and discussed implementing the strategies covered during the workshop. Additionally, some expressed concerns about young people’s rising internet usage rate, highlighting the need to educate learners on online safety to encourage responsible digital behaviour.
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